


Acceptance

by navso311



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anti-Trump, F/M, IM PROUD OF THIS, Like, This is my first work, as if the muslim ban was never lifted, highkey racism, i wrote this before the muslim ban was lifted so yeah, of the real world, on ao3 at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-25 03:51:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9801416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/navso311/pseuds/navso311
Summary: In which we learn how Allura finally accepts Keith's half-galra side and we learn about Lance's diverse family in the process.





	

We all have been left in the dark about how Keith told everyone he was Galra, so a lot of us have taken it into our own hands. This is my take on it. 

~*~*~

"I'm half-Galra." 

The minute Keith said those words, the inhabitants of the Castle of Lions looked at the boy with wide eyes- all save for one. They were all speechless, while Lance shrugged. 

"Cool. Do you have any other news?" 

Allura looked at the Cuban boy, gaping like a fish. "How can you be so nonchalant about this? He is half of the enemy!" 

Keith looked hurt, but also as if he was expecting this. "This is nothing to be chalant about. Keith's a good guy. I mean, sure he's a bit of an asshole, but it never really took away from the fact that he has good intentions," Lance said with a straight face. 

Allura sputtered and ran out of the room. Shiro looked at Lance with wide eyes. 

"Wow… That- that was mature of you," he said. 

"I'm Cuban and bisexual. I'm not really accepted by most. Especially by you Americans," Lance said, shrugging again. 

Days passed and Allura was cold to Keith. One morning, she stood on the main deck, looking for more resources for the large teleduv. Lance lazily walked into the room, leaning on the dashboard where Coran usually stood. The boy had his hands in the pockets of his jacket and he was whistling loudly. He turned around and started to tap on the board. Allura was getting annoyed and Lance could tell. He tried to hold back his grin. 

"Can you stop that?" She finally said, her eyes narrowing. 

Lance turned to the princess, his face stone. "Can you stop segregating Keith?" His tone was cold as the ice his lion breathed. 

"What are you talking about?" 

"Segregation is an old Earthen thing. Back when America, the country where Pidge, Hunk, Shiro, and Keith are from, was still being colonized, black people were being brought over from Africa, another continent, and they were being used as slaves. Lesser beings. When they got voting rights, one slave's vote counted for three-fifths of one vote." Allura gasped. 

"How can people just treat other people like that?!"

"But wait! There's more!" Lance said as if it were a commercial. "After they got freedom from the slave owners, the African-Americans were segregated beyond belief. They couldn't drink from the same fountains. They only could sit in the back of the bus or in any kind of public room. They couldn't go to the same schools. They did not have equal rights, where they did have rights. In the 1960's, they lawfully got 'Civil Rights.' But in the eyes of the people, the African-Americans were not being treated equally. Things were getting better, but slowly. Thirty years later, around the 1990's, people started movements for LGBT+ people." 

"Who are they?" Allura asked, curious. 

"People who are not cisgendered or heterosexual. In the 2010's they got their rights. President Obama was a great man and I admire him greatly. When I was a young boy, he made me want to be a Cuban representative thingy for America. I decided against it, law was not made for a kid like me. Maybe when we get back to earth, if ever. That's why I have good enough diplomatic skills when we meet up with foreign peoples. But regardless, he was able to get equal rights for LGBT+ people and other minorities. He was able to deal with Cuba the way others were not able to. His successor, Donald Trump, however, turned everything around. 

"President Trump banned a certain religion from entering the country just because one of many terrorist groups follow that religion. It started a whole bunch of protests and psychotic uprisings and almost caused World War III." 

"What does this happen to do with me?" Allura asked, annoyed but intrigued. Pidge walked in, a new version of Rover trailing behind her. 

"Let me tell you a story of Ryan and Laila." Lance sighed and rubbed his hands.

Pidge gasped and shrieked. "Wait! I'm going to grab everyone else! I love this story!" She cried, a large grin on her face. Lance laughed as she left the room. Pidge came back minutes later, Shiro, Keith, Hunk, and Coran low in tow. The young girl took a seat on the floor in front of him. "Okay. Start." 

"Once upon a time, there was a boy named Ryan..." He began, telling an animated and amazing story. 

~*~*~

Ryan McClain was your ideal white boy stereotype. He played a variety of sports, including golf. He went to country clubs daily. His younger sister got Starbucks on the daily. His parents were Pro-Life, homophobic, and Pro-Trump. They were racist, misogynistic, and downright horrible people. Ryan lived in Long Island, a few hours away from the Hamptons and his family went for a week every summer. 

He was a fifteen, going on sixteen, year old boy in his second year of high school when Trump was inaugurated. Most of his very integrated school was unhappy; some were even scared for their life. 

His school was a public school that was dominated by people of the Asian and South Asian countries, but there were also a lot of people from the Middle East. 

Everyone was separated by country, so to speak and that left most of the white people together. They were dubbed the 'Popular Crowd' and they were simply composed of the Caucasians and few exceptions. 

Even though the groups were very separated, they still mixed and Ryan had many friends outside of his social circle. His best friend was a Korean immigrant whose real name Ryan couldn't pronounce, but his 'American name' was William. The girls in his circle threw themselves at him, but only one girl caught his eye. She was a girl who fell into the BBC, otherwise known as the 'Brown Bitches Club.' She was a beautiful, Muslim girl from the Middle East. She had tan skin and brown-green eyes. Ryan had never seen her hair because it was hidden by her hijab, but it never took away from her beauty. Ryan expected it to be a dark brown and thick and silky. Her name was Laila. 

One day, she came into school crying. Her friends comforted her, but her attempts were futile. Ryan waited until their English class to confront her, seeing as though they were seated next to each other. He looked at her, concerned. 

"Laila, are you okay?" He asked. This was one of the first days in a long time where he didn't see her with make up. She was just as beautiful. 

"Yeah," she said, harshly rubbing her red eyes. "It's just- you know how my birthday is coming up, right?" 

Ryan nodded. Of course I do, he thought. I love you. 

"My grandparents were supposed to come from Yemen. But they can't because of Trump's ban. It's been over 90 days, but the ban has yet to be lifted. I-they were going to come for my Sweet Sixteen! But... now they're not. And it hurts. It hurts! The people I need the most are not going to be there." Without realizing it, Laila let her head all on Ryan's shoulder. He shifted and placed his arms around her shoulders, hugging her closely. 

"It'll be okay. I know that it hurts and I couldn't even begin to understand what you are going through, but... it will get better. I can't promise when, but I can promise that it will. " 

Ryan was supposed to ask her out that night, the night of her Sweet Sixteen. He was going to have the DJ play a slow dance and he was going to have a rose and everything. 

Laila furiously rubbed at her eyes. "I understand that, but I want my grandparents with me. They are the only people who matter to me. I need them to be there with me. I just- it's stupid, I'm sorry for throwing this all on you." Laila pulled away, taking a few deep breaths. 

Hesitantly, Ryan took her hand. "Don't be. You can cry on my shoulder anytime you need to. Exhibit A." Ryan gestured at his shoulder and gave a small smile. 

Laila laughed. "Okay, I will." She let herself lean against him.  "Thank you."

"It's no biggie. I'm here for you." 

Eventually, the ban lifted and Laila's grandparents were able to come to America for her birthday and Ryan managed to ask her out and, soon enough, they were dating. Laila's parents were ecstatic, they thought that Ryan was a good boy. 

One day, Ryan was prepping for a dinner. His parents were finally meeting his beloved girlfriend. His parents sat at the dining room table while his younger sister was at her friend’s house for a sleepover. 

The doorbell rang and Ryan jumped, setting down the final knife. "She's here!" He cried, running to the door. "Laila!" He cried, opening it. Ryan snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Laila cupped his face and planted a soft kiss on his lips. "I was just getting the food ready!" 

Laila leaned back and put a hand on her chest. "I'm impressed. You know how to cook. What did you make? Grilled cheese?" 

"Actually, I made chicken parmesan with garlic knots, all from scratch!" Ryan stated, a proud grin on his face. 

He led his love to the dining room table where Ryan pulled out a seat for her. "Wow, this is like a restaurant," Laila commented. Ryan seated himself next to her. 

"Mom, Dad, this is Laila. My girlfriend," Ryan said. He was oblivious to the disgusted looks on their faces. Her hijab was scaring them. 

"Oh, she's Muslim!" Debbie, Ryan's mother, said, a strained smile on her face. "Oh, joy!"

Laila stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, gently putting down her eating utensils. 

"It's just not what we were expecting," Debbie said. 

Gary, Ryan's father, grimaced. He glared at her and got up, pushing his chair away. "Go back to your country, bitch! You don't belong here! You probably came here with plans to kill us all!" 

Tears welled in Laila's eyes and looked down. "I can't go back to a country I've never been to," she murmured. "And please, do not group me with ISIS. They are responsible for the deaths of my family." The young girl got up and left the house, her footsteps echoing in the deafening silence. 

Ryan shot up from his seat. "How-how dare you?" His very own blue eyes were filled with angry tears. 

"You know what her people did to me. To us!" Gary shouted. 

"I am sad that I never really knew my sister. I know that Muslim people were the cause of 9/11 and pretty much killed her," Ryan started, "but I will not hold it against anyone. Ever." He ran from the house calling out for her. "Laila! Laila! Wait!" He called, stopping this girl in the middle of the street. She was furiously texting someone, probably a parent to pick her up. 

"What do you want?" Laila spat. "I don't want to hear it. You probably just did all of this to me just to stab me in my back. My family told me not to trust white people..."

Ryan lurched back as if he had been punched. "I would never..."

"You would never what? You would never be racist? Xenophobic?"

"I would never do anything to ever harm you or anyone of our friends!" He was shouting now. 

"Why not?" So was she. 

"Because I love you!" Ryan shouted, the tears from his eyes trailing hot down his face. "I have loved you since we were in middle school! I have loved you that day that you took on our teacher in a debate! You are amazing, kind, and passionate and I love you for those amazing qualities." He ran over to her and cupped her face. "I have loved you for longer than you have loved me. And I don't care if my parents disown me for loving you. Your background doesn't make you who you are. You make you who you are." He pressed his forehead against hers. 

Laila bit back tears to refrain from crying. "I love you, too, Ryan." She pressed his lips to hers and everything was better again. 

~*~*~

"Fast forward, like, a decade and they learn that Laila is infertile and the two adopt a 13 year-old Cuban boy that they raise as Julio McClain. Ryan and Laila move to Cuba so that they do not have to take the child out of his home," Lance said. "The kid grows up knowing Spanish, English, and Arabic. He's not Christian, Muslim, or anything, for the matter. Julio just knew that he should accept everyone, no matter who they are. He was 19 when he meets Rosa Sanchez and 20 when they fall in love. He was 21 when they have their first child, a girl, out of many. Her name is Maria, after Rosa's mom. Julio and Rosa get married a year later. After that, they have their first son and they name him Hernán, after Rosa's dad. Their next kid is another boy and they let Hernán and Maria name him. Those two name him Lance. Their next daughter is the one Ryan and Laila named. Her name is Fariba. Their next two children are twins, one boy and the other a girl. Julio and Rosa name these two kids after Julio's parents, Ryan and Laila. And the large family lived happily ever after without the weight of Debbie and Gary on their shoulders."

"Wait!" Coran called. "Julio and Rosa's third child! His name was Lance! Is that you?"

Lance smiled sadly. "Yeah, he is. I probably gave Grandma a heart attack. And Abuelita is probably cooking up a storm. Man, I miss Grandpa's garlic knots."

Allura glared at Lance. "Why did you feel the need to tell me this?"

"People who shared the same religion as my grandmother were the reason one of my great aunts is dead, but my grandfather chose to look pass that and he saw my grandmother for the amazing woman she is. Because her background does not matter," Lance glared at Allura. "Do I have to spell it out for you? One's background, race, ethnic origin, beliefs, and skin color should not affect the way you think of someone. I am very disappointed in you, Allura. You should be ashamed of yourself for behaving the way that you were. You are a princess, you should accept everyone no matter who they are." Lance pushed himself off the dashboard and grabbed Keith's shoulder. "C'mon. We are hanging out. Pidge, Hunk, Shiro, you are welcome to join us."

Allura looked to Coran. "I really messed up this time." 

Coran nodded grimly. "Yes, Princess. I am afraid so."

  
  


 


End file.
